Salmon Bisque

On the spectrum of super foods, this little midweek surprise might just be pushing a 10 — not what one would expect of a bisque. I’ve always associated bisque with lots of heavy cream, and frankly, since lobster is not real big in Central Texas, I’ve never given bisque much thought. Recently, I happened upon a recipe for a salmon bisque that used canned tomato soup and a bunch of other ingredients that I don’t use, but my interest was piqued. I scrapped that recipe, and started over with some soup-making basics — tossing an Idaho potato into the mix to stand in for heavy cream.

Low and behold, it was even better than expected — which is the beautiful thing about not having expectations. The salmon took center stage and the blend of vegetables and herbs added a subtle flavor dimension to a soup that’s both rich and light and one of my new faves.

Ingredients

1 14 oz. can of wild-caught, red salmon*

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup peeled and chopped carrots

1 large Idaho potato (peeled and chopped)

1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

4 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup half and half (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat three Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onions, followed by chopped carrots, celery and potato. Cook on medium high heat for five minutes.

When vegetables are soft, remove from heat and add remaining 2 cups of stock. Once slightly cooled, blend with an immersion blender or in a blender.

Add salmon and pulse a few times.

Reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste and half and half if desired.

Serve warm.

*I used canned salmon, but fresh is absolutely an option. (Just cook it before adding it to the soup). I’m a big fan of the canned, red, wild-caught sockeye salmon for a lot of recipes. I prefer it to farm-raised, or pink, or Atlantic that’s had color added.